(For those of you unaware, the previous chapter was extended in case you missed the earlier update notice.)
"Seriously couldn't you put me with anyone else?" protested Second Sister as the cell door closed. It was magnetically sealed, meaning there was no way Sister could open it herself or her cell mate couldn't either.
"Believe me I'm not thrilled about this either. I'd rather share a cell with Chopper," grumbled Zeb. The pirates just had to put her with the Lasat, the one person in the crew who annoyed her beyond belief. The two of them still had hands shackled behind their backs as did the rest of the rebels, orders from Captain Thrain. He wasn't taking any chances with them. Of all the pirates in the Outer Rim they had run into, why'd they had to run into a smart one?
"Well that droid would be more useful then you right now," hissed Sister. She sat down on the floor and lifted up her legs, maneuvering her arms underneath them to get her hands in front of her. She couldn't unlock the restrains herself as the cuffs were magnetically locked together. Cheap but incredibly difficult to break free from unless you had the strength of a rancor. Zeb did the same, albeit with more difficulty. Sister couldn't help but give the Lasat a mocking smile the whole time.
"Says the person who uses the Force. Why don't you use your little hocus pocus and get us out of this?" Zeb said.
"Oh is that what the Force is to you? A fix it all deus ex machina? That's not how it works!" growled Sister.
"You know I'm starting to think you and your former associates are incredibly overrated. How powerful can you be if you can't even break out of some restraints?" mocked Zeb.
"Why don't I use my talents to smash your head into my shackles like a hammer? It's not like you use it for anything useful," grumbled Sister.
"I'd love for you to try but now is not the time for this," Zeb spoke.
"For once we actually agree Dead Weight. We don't have time to just sit around. It's not going to take these pirates very long to figure out who we are and when they do, they'll sell us to the Empire for a big payday. So the moment that cell door opens we take down everybody in our way, free the others, and get off this ship," replied Sister.
"Easier said than done. I counted at least fifteen goons who escorted us here and more than twenty people we passed in the halls. They probably have a lot more and all of them are armed to the teeth. So do us all a favor and do nothing until Chopper shows up otherwise you're going to get us all killed," hissed Zeb.
"I hope you have a better plan then hoping that psychotic trash compactor on wheels doesn't screw up because I am not putting up with you as a cellmate. Not only do you shed but also stink!" snapped Sister.
"Why you little…!" shouted Zeb.
"I think I can hear Zeb and Second Sister," said Ezra. He was locked with Kanan who was currently meditating. Ezra envied how calm and collected his master was given the situation. Captain Thrain had the Ghost crew separated with two in each cell and ordered their restraints kept on. The cell reminded Ezra of one on an Imperial cruiser except this one didn't even have a bunk, just a thin bench for people to sit on.
"They're arguing again aren't they?" guessed Kanan, his eyes closed.
"Yep," answered Ezra. "Zeb just called her a witch…or least I hope that's what he called her."
"Let's just hope they don't kill each other before we get a chance to escape," sighed Kanan.
"Which better be sooner rather than later. All they have to do is find one mention of Lasat on the HoloNet and they'll figure out who Zeb is as well as the rest of us," grumbled Ezra.
"Calm down Ezra. We're more useful alive then dead to them which buys us some time to get out of this. What I want to know is how did a bunch of pirates managed to get their hands on a Providence Class dreadnaught. The Separatists used them during the Clone Wars. A ship like this required a lot of maintenance crew, support personal, and supplies," said Kanan.
"Maybe they salvaged it," suggested Ezra.
"Salvagers strip ships as big as this one bare, not fix them up," commented Kanan.
"Well I did notice a lot of droids on our way here," remarked Ezra.
"Yeah but they were all maintenance droids. I didn't see a single battle droid and even if they did have an entire army of those clankers, it still doesn't explain how they keep this ship running. Ships this large required a lot of fuel which is expensive. That's why only the Republic or the Separatists could afford them," replied Kanan.
"They probably steal it," mumbled Ezra. Judging from Kanan's face, he didn't seem convinced but as far as Ezra was concerned it was irrelevant. Right now they needed to focus on getting out of this.
"Ezra sit down and find your center. You need to be focused for what comes next," Kanan suggested.
Arden Thrain was sometimes known for his obsessions. Once he started looking for something, it was often difficult for him to stop. That was sometimes a problem with his crew as they would find themselves on wild bantha chases. But sometimes his stubbornness bore unexpected fruit. When the Scimitar plundered trade routes in the Corporate Sector, the corporations started adding escorts but most importantly hiding their most valuable cargo on scout ships. It was rather clever as any regular pirate would ignore them or go right for the cargo transports. But Thrain noticed how quickly some of them fled conflict the moment it started so one battle he had the crew focus on them instead. It didn't go over so well until they opened up one of the ships they captured. After that, no one doubted his strategy.
Thrain felt the same about these 'cargo haulers'. He had a gut instinct they were more then what they seemed and he wasn't going to let up until he figured it out. After the crew did a preliminary sweep of the ship, Thrain brought in his Chief Engineer to look over the captured Corellian cargo ship. Jaybo Hood was only twenty-five years of age and yet he could run virtually the entire ship by himself. With his incredible talents, he maintained the numerous service droids who kept the ship operating at a hundred percent. This allowed the rest of the crew to only need the most basic mundane skills necessary to be a pirate such as smoking death sticks, rolling dice, and consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages without passing out.
"Anything?" Thrain asked as he entered the cargo ship's bridge.
"The navi-computer verifies their story. They made a stop at Takoba and were on their way to Gorse," reported Jaybo.
"Funny thing about stories is that they're all works of fiction," remarked Thrain.
"Their fuel computer is another matter, the records were completely wiped. If you ask me, they're smugglers," agreed Jaybo.
"Smuggling what though?" wondered Thrain. He still wasn't entirely certain they were smugglers.
"I have some droids running advanced sensor sweeps of the ship. Give me a little more time and I'll find any hidden compartments onboard," said Jaybo. The engineer was certainly one of Thrain's most loyal crew members. The young man had been captured by another pirate crew and was used as a slave to fix their ship. Then the pirates decided to muscle in on Thrain's territory and paid the price for it. Jaybo sabotaged the ship before Thrain attacked so after the crew was dealt with, Thrain offered to have the engineer work for him. Jaybo agreed though he was a little rough around the edges. He wasn't the bloodthirsty type but he's never disobeyed an order.
"Captain," Kintara's voice emanated from Thrain's wrist com. She was the ship's quartermaster which meant she was responsibility for helm and navigation. Also she was in command of the bridge should Thrain or Xar be absent.
Thrain tapped the reply button and asked, "What is it?"
"We're receiving a transmission from Sulla," Kintara answered, the disgust in her tone obvious. Just hearing that name made Thrain want to vomit.
"Transfer the signal to my quarters. I'll be there shortly," the pirate captain replied.
"Chopper better hurry up. Things tend not to end well for prisoners of pirates, especially women," sighed Sabine as she glanced around her cell. She's heard plenty of horror stories of how merciless pirates could be. Depending on who they were, they'd sell you to slavers, feed you to a Sarlac pit, execute you on the spot, or if you were useful they'd might forcibly recruit you to their crew. Somehow Sabine doubted they'd try the latter.
"He'll come through for us. He always does," remarked Hera. Both of them had managed to get their shackled hands in front of them.
"And if he doesn't? Not that I'm doubting him but I prefer to have a backup plan," suggested Sabine.
"When I figure one out, you'll be the first to know," replied Hera.
"Yeah well I might be able to help with that. If those perverts focused more on actually searching me properly, they would have found this," said Sabine who pulled a small thin metal clip from her knee brace. She used it to pick the locks on her restraints and free herself.
"Not bad," Hera smiled as the Mandalorian did the same for her friend's restraints.
"Pays to be prepared," smirked Sabine. "So we wait by the door until someone opens it and take them down?"
"That's not much of a plan," commented Hera.
"Well until Chopper shows up, it's the only one we've got," admitted Sabine.
Thrain entered his personal cabin so he could have privacy. He never enjoyed speaking to Sulla especially in front of his crew. It wouldn't go over well to see the Captain getting lectured by someone who stood against everything they stood for. Pirates were for freedom from government rules and personal liberty to do as they wish. Sulla was the exact opposite. However the man was a necessary evil and needed to be placated.
Thrain walked over to his work desk and activated the holographic communicator, taking a seat as he did. The face of Moff Kyrus Sulla appeared with the same arrogant sneer he always had. Thrain swore that look was permeantly etched on his face. The man was a powerful Imperial governor of the Outer Rim and answered directly only to Grand Moff Tarkin. That made him a dangerous man to cross, even for someone like Thrain.
"I don't take well to waiting pirate," Sulla spoke.
"I hear it's a virtue then again I hear virtue is a criminal offense in the Empire," chuckled Thrain.
"I don't need a lecture either. Intelligence has reported you've been moonlighting in the Queli Sector," replied Sulla.
"I'm just visiting an old friend. We'll have drinks, reminisce about old times, and then I'll make a trophy out of his skull," explained Thrain.
"That sector is irrelevant!" shouted Sulla. "This arraignment is very simple pirate. You take down your rivals in areas affecting my shipping lanes as well as not attacking Imperial ships and I appropriate fuel for your vessel. Without me, that glutinous and outdated ship would be nothing more than an oversized paper weight. The Queli Sector has no major shipping lanes in it!"
"That's why he's is in this sector. You don't put a pirate base in a sector with a lot of traffic. You put it somewhere far off the beaten path," Thrain said, trying to keep his frustration in check.
"These pirates better have been raiding my shipping lanes because you're usefulness has been lacking as of late. Tarkin's been pressuring every Moff under his command to step up their efforts in dealing with rebels and dissidents so I have new orders for you. I want you to capture pirates alive so that I can publicly execute them. Also they better be high profile captains or I might reconsider our deal," ordered Sulla.
"Taking prisoners in the heat of battle isn't as easy as you pencil pushers think! Especially important ones like a captain!" snapped Thrain.
"Watch your tone pirate. Those are the terms. Deal with them or I'll deal with you. No matter how powerful you think that ship of yours is, it's still no match for a Star Destroyer. Remember that," warned Sulla. His image faded as the Moff cut the transmission.
Thrain stood up and grabbed the chair he was sitting on, throwing into the nearest wall. That ungrateful kriffing Imperial just changed the deal and there was nothing the captain could do about it. If it wasn't for Thrain and his crew, Sulla wouldn't be able to brag about how safe his shipping lanes were. Thrain knew what was going on here. The Moff was going to start squeezing more and more until it wasn't possible to keep up with his demands. At that point, he'd sent ships to hunt the Scimitar down. Sulla was going to cut ties with Thrain and his crew. It was just a question of how much more he could milk the pirates before doing so.
Hera and Sabine sat on the floor, backs pressed against the walls beside the cell door. Neither of them had any clue when someone was going to show up so they might as well get comfortable. The moment someone came inside, they'd be on top of them in a heartbeat. Sabine just hoped it wouldn't be that big XO. Guys that big tend to punch really hard. Actually she'd prefer the grunt that searched and restrained her earlier to step through that door. She had a score to settle with him for the way he patted her down.
"So if we get out of this, who do you think Second Sister will bunk with?" Sabine asked to pass the time.
"Well she can't with Zeb and Ezra. They already share a room together which means leaves you, me, and Kanan," remarked Hera.
"That doesn't sound like you're volunteering," Sabine joked.
"There's no volunteering. That makes it seem like she's a burden rather than an actual crewmember. She has to make the choice and get that individual to agree. This is about her actively trying to be a member of the crew," Hera explained.
"The problem Hera is that she's not one of us. She may hate the Empire but so do plenty of people all over the galaxy. That doesn't make all of them our friends," Sabine pointed out.
"She's rough around the edges…okay very rough but she's had plenty of chances to leave. Sister can complain all she wants but she is still here because she wants to be. Maybe it's more out of self-interest than anything else but Ahsoka and Ezra see potential for her to become better than that," replied Hera.
"Maybe they should bunk with her then," grumbled Sabine.
The cell door opened as a Weequay stepped inside carrying a food tray. "Okay ladies…" he started to say.
He didn't get a chance for finish. Hera hit him with a knee in his gut while Sabine hit a tornado kick in the back of his head. The pirate dropped to the floor unconscious, the food tray clattering onto the floor.
"Leandros? You alright?" a voice called out.
Sabine quickly grabbed a blaster on the unconscious pirate's body while Hera grabbed the fallen food tray. There was only one blaster so the Twi'lek allowed Sabine to take it as she was the better shot. The two of them came to this agreement without saying a single word. That was the benefit of working with someone long enough that you knew and trusted each other. Something Second Sister knew nothing about.
The two braced themselves against the walls on either side of the door as two grunts rushed inside. They didn't get a step inside before both getting a food tray and a blaster into each other's head. The grunts fell to the floor though one was still conscious. Sabine rectified that with a kick to the skull.
"Thanks for the weapons boys," chuckled Sabine. Hera grabbed the guards' remaining weapons and the two exited the cell. They didn't see any other guards but they did moved cautiously, going from cover to cover. The detention hallway was massive but there was a series of lights overhead of each cell that indicated which ones were occupied. The majority were red which probably meant empty while only two were green. Since Hera and Sabine were locked up together, that probably meant the others were locked up in pairs of twos.
"You check that one. I'll take this one," said Hera, clearly realizing the same thing.
The two split up with Sabine heading towards the nearest cell. She tapped a button on the control panel, opening the cell door. She stepped inside only to suddenly get thrown into the air in grip of some unseen force right into a wall. Sabine was held in place, unable to move as she released she was about to get attacked by Zeb. The Last had his shackled hands in front of him, ready to hit the Mandalorian when he quickly realized who he was attacking.
"Sabine?" asked a stunned Zeb. Standing behind him was Second Sister, holding up her shackled hands to use the Force to hold Sabine in place. She quickly lowered hands, releasing Sabine from her telekinetic grip.
"I see you came up with the same idea me and Hera did. We beat you to it," chuckled Sabine.
"How'd you get your hands free?" demanded Sister.
Sabine held up the metal clip she used to pick her restraints. "Not everyone needs the Force to get out of tough situations," she mocked.
An annoyed Sister twirled her finger and the metal clip went flying out of the Mandalorian's hands and right to the former Inquisitor. She unlocked her restraints and tossed it over to Zeb.
"I've had quite enough excitement for one day," Sister grumbled as she brushed right past Sabine.
"Your welcome," spat Sabine.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Another minute stuck in this cell with her and I would have lost my mind," sighed Zeb as he freed himself.
"I can only imagine…on second thought I'd rather not," Sabine quipped.
The two headed outside where Hera was exiting a cell with Kanan and Ezra. Zeb unlocked their restraints and Hera handed the Lasat a blaster.
"We've only got three blasters but the three of you have something better," Hera explained her reasons. While the Twi'lek, Sabine, and Lasat had the pirate's stolen weapons, Kanan, Ezra, and Sister could use the Force. They didn't need blasters.
"Where's Chopper?" asked Ezra.
"Don't know. Me and Hera managed to escape on our own," replied Sabine.
"That blasted rust bucket," grumbled Zeb.
"Right now we need to get back to the Ghost. I can only imagine what those vermin are doing to my ship," Hera hissed.
"Aren't we putting the bantha before the cart? We won't get very far with that tractor beam," Kanan pointed out.
"Then we'll sabotage one of the power distribution terminals. Ships as big as these need them to regulate the countless machines, computers, and systems onboard," suggested Sabine.
"You all can continue this talk while we're on the move," demanded Sister.
The group exited the detention block into a large corridor. "Does anybody have any idea where this power terminal would even be?" asked Zeb.
"Probably near a hub. You can find them on most ships this size by following…" Sabine explained as they rushed down the corridor.
They were suddenly stopped by the sight of three droids coming around a corner. They stood on three legs, had dual blaster cannons for hands, and looked like unwrapped metal balls with three insectoid-like eyes.
"Uhh…what is that?" gulped Ezra.
"Destroyers!" hissed Sister. Sabine, Zeb, and Hera opened fire only for the droids to activate personal shields that blocked every shot.
"Run!" yelled Kanan. They turned to flee only to find three more Destroyers approaching from the other side. The group was surrounded and in big trouble. Kanan, Ezra, and Sister didn't have any lightsabers to deflect any blaster fire and with the droids' shielding, they could just mow the rebels down without any resistance.
A sudden flash of light surrounded the group, enveloping them in a bubble of oscillating energy.
"Ray shield. They were expecting us to do this," realized Kanan. Zeb tried to punch the energy but only succeeded in causing a slight ripple in the shield. The Lasat then held his fist wincing in pain. If the rebels weren't out of options before, they were now.
Dozens of pirates approached the shield with their guns drawn led by the XO Xar Zorem. The massive Fallen had a smile on his face. "Leaving so soon?" he mocked.
"Well this was certainly worth the effort," grumbled Second Sister. She was once again in restraints only this time she had a belt attached to her waist that was chain linked with the rest of the rebels. They were all lined up against a wall with the pirates ready to shoot them if they tried anything. Sister could tell Xar was just itching to something to happen. These pirates might look like your typical pirate scum but they've consistently proven otherwise. The trap with that Kuati freighter and the trap just outside the detention hallway showed how clever they were.
"Chopper you better hurry," whispered Hera next to the former Inquisitor. If that protocol droid didn't do something, they were finished. Unbelievable they managed to survive countless battles against the Empire including escaping Lothal while under martial law, springing a rescue from Tarkin's personal Star Destroyer, escaping Darth Vader on Lothal, escaping the destruction of Artanis Station, and rescuing Rex from Third Sister. They should have died on every single one of those missions and yet they survived. And now they were probably going to die at the hands of pirates. It felt almost embarrassing.
Thrain came calmly walking down the corridor, whistling as if he was taking a pleasure stroll on a beach. "You ungrateful schuttas," he called out.
"We give you an all expenses free trip onboard our wonderful pleasure cruise. Free room, free food, and plenty of crew bonding opportunities. And yet you thank us by breaking out of your cells and beating up my crew. Poor Leandros got a broken jaw trying to serve you food and an apology ain't going to cut it. Now how did this lot escape?" Thrain spoke.
"Those two were the ones who broke out first," Xar answered, pointing to Hera and Sabine.
Thrain pointed to the Twi'lek and said, "Funny how you'd not balling your eyes out anymore. Watch out for the crying ones I always say."
That got a glare from Hera as the pirate turned his attention to Sabine. "As for you. First off…your hair looks weird," explained Thrain.
"Second, your Mandalorian armor may look as ridiculous as your hair but it's becoming more and more obvious that you earned it," smiled Thrain. Sabine didn't have anything to say to that. Not that words would have done any good at this point.
"So now here I am with a purple Wookie, a Mandalorian with no fashion sense, a Twi'lek with horrible acting skills, a kid not even old enough to shave, some random human with a ponytail I couldn't really care less about and then there's you," Thrain said before pointing to Sister.
He walked right up to the former Inquisitor and said, "I know a killer when I see one. They all got a look in their eyes. The same look you're giving me right now. I'm not a betting man but if I was, I'd bet on you if the two of us were ever in a tussle."
"Is this how pirates choose their captains by how much they flap their gums or is it by how much hot air they blow out of it?" spat Sister. That got some amused snickers from the pirates.
"Sweetheart where have you been all my life?" chuckled Thrain. "Allow me to explain what happens next. Since you've all broken one of my rules, you're going to have to be punished."
"Technically you never said trying to escape was against your rules," Ezra pointed out. That got some glares from the rest of the rebels.
"Actually it is. Rule 24: thou shall never attempt to escape from Thrain's hospitality. The fact that I never told any of you that is irrelevant. Ignorance of the law is no excuse," smirked Thrain.
"Then just get it over with already. Anything's better than listening to you prattle on," hissed Sister. Hera elbowed the former Inquisitor in the shoulder with a look that meant shut up.
"My friends I am in love!" exclaimed a sarcastic Thrain. He wrapped his hand around Sister's shoulder and grabbed the chain link to pull on the rebels, letting them know to move. Sister had never needed to restrain herself so much in her life as she was forced to walk alongside this creep. She could wring his neck with the Force but that would probably just get herself and the others killed.
"Let's all take a walk to the hangar bay," Thrain said.
"Do you know how I got to be captain?" Thrain asked the rebels as they were shoved near the edge of the cargo elevator that led the carbo bay beneath the massive hangar though at the moment with the loader at the bottom of the shaft, it looked more like a massive pit. It looked deep but not far enough to be a fatal drop especially for a Force User. Then again, it wasn't something that Ezra wanted to experience either.
"I'm sure you're going to tell us why," grumbled Zeb.
Nearby the Ghost was parked, just waiting for the crew to escape and board her. Unfortunately, escape was becoming less and less likely. Ezra wondered where Chopper was and more importantly what was he waiting for? Did he not realize that if any miraculous escape was to happen, it needed to be now.
"Why actually I am you defective looking Wookiee," chuckled Thrain. "I got to where I am by making sure people knew that if they broke my rules that there would be consequences. Narel may be the latest on my to-kill-list but the truth is that he's not the first of my sheep to stray from the flock. I'm a very understanding man. You don't have to agree with me on everything and you can even speak your mind openly about it. But regardless of your opinions, you always follow the rules and if you break them then you have to know that there will be consequences."
"However before we do that, there's still the rancor in the room we need to address. You people are probably thinking you're going to escape out of all of this. Well allow me to put those thoughts to rest. You're little escapade earlier is your first and last one. All of you will be spending the rest of this trip shackled together in the same cell. Your cell will be watched by a dozen of my best men and should you somehow get past them, we'll just ray shield all of you again," chuckled Thrain
"Oh did I forget to mention that your little droid isn't going to save you," Thrain added. He snapped his fingers and the pirates separated, making way to two thugs who were escorting a familiar looking droid. Ezra nearly turned pale when he realized it was Chopper.
"I really don't like droids. Yeah they might keep this ship from falling apart but I still don't like them. Which is why I don't give them any weapons…by the way those Destroyer Droids earlier were just for show. They couldn't actually hurt you…anyways back to my original point. I don't give them any weapons and I don't allow any of them access to the security systems. So when Wheels here decided to tamper with your cells, he got quite the security shock," explained Thrain.
If any of the Ghost crew wasn't worried before, they were now. One of the pirates kicked Chopper, knocking him over. That got a chuckle from the rest of the goons.
"Mother kriffer I completely forgot what I was originally talking about….oh yes! Consequences!" laughed Thrain.
The Captain tapped a button on his wrist com. "Ready the appetizer," he ordered.
Ezra wondered what that was supposed to mean until he noticed a cargo crane carrying a small cage towards the elevator shaft. Inside was a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard shrieking and struggling to break free.
"I never liked those things. Monkey lizards have this laugh that always irritated me. It's like they're mocking you. At first I thought the solution was to cut out their tongues until I discovered that they can make a sound I actually enjoy," said Thrain. He tapped a button on his wrist com and Ezra felt the floor shook for a second.
A thunderous roar caused the Padawan to nearly jump out of his shoes. A massive reptilian head emerged into the shaft, barring fangs that were larger than Ezra. He had no idea what that thing was but he had a bad feeling he was going to find out the hard way.
"Meet Tiny. Strange name for a Krayt Dragon I know but to be fair, she was a wee little sand crawler when we found her and gave her the name. Well over the years she's outgrown her cage and her name," chuckled Thrain. "So we keep her in the auxiliary cargo bay and feed her Banthas, Dewbacks, Monkey Lizards, and the occasional mutineers."
The Krayt Dragon hissed in frustration, trying to climb up towards the cage containing the Monkey Lizard but couldn't grab a hold on anything with its limbs.
"Oh Karabas," gulped Zeb.
"You hear that?" Thrain asked, listening to the Monkey Lizard's shrieks of terror. "Now that is a beautiful sound."
The captain tapped a button on his wrist com. The floor of the cage holding the Monkey Lizard opened, dropping the helpless animal down the shaft. The Krayt Dragon jumped up and snatched the smaller creature right out the air with its mouth.
"And that is a beautiful sound as well," chuckled Thrain, referring to the crunching of bone and flesh as the Krayt Dragon chomped down on his meal.
"Look we're not pirates. We just ship illicit cargo for individuals who prefer to bypass Imperial customs," protested Hera. She was trying to conceal their identity by claiming to be smugglers. Hopefully the pirates would buy that though Ezra had a bad feeling Thrain wasn't so gullible.
"Smugglers then. What's your cargo?" smiled Thrain.
"Spice," sighed Hera. That caught the pirates' attention judging from their reactions. The drug was worth its weight in credits to the right buyers.
"You traitor!" shouted Kanan who threw a punch at Hera. The pirates managed to restrain him. Ezra had to give his Master credit, he was a much better actor then he'd thought he'd be. Not to mention he was able to think quickly on his feet. Kanan and Hera managed to put on this little performance together without saying a single word to each other.
"We just finished delivering a shipment to Teth when we picked up the distress signal from your trap. We thought we'd make an easy score scavenging anything useful," said Hera.
"The boss will kill us when he finds out what you just said!" snapped Kanan.
Xar stepped forward. "Does your boss personally supervise your shipments?" he asked.
"Well…yeah. He's kinda a control freak," Sabine spoke up. Ezra was surprised how quickly the crew could just run with this whole act.
"Well just tell us where your pick up your shipments and we'll make sure he's too dead to care while taking the rest of his supply," smiled Xar.
"How do we know you won't just kill us the moment you've got what you want?" demanded Zeb.
"Captain never breaks his word. When he says he's going to do something, he does it," explained Xar. He turned to his boss and asked, "What do you say Captain? Take their boss's spice in exchange for letting them go?"
Ezra was starting to feel a little safer. Looks like the pirates were buying the story which hopefully would buy them time to escape.
The rest of the pirates were nodding in agreement but Thrain wasn't one of them. His smile evaporated and was replaced by a stern look. The Captain walked up to Hera and asked, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
There was something different in the tone of his voice. Gone was the sarcasm, Thrain's voice was now threatening and even frightening while his breathing was growing more elevated. The Captain grabbed Hera's shirt and squeezed so hard Ezra swore it was going to tear. He was angry and wanted the Twi'lek to know it.
"I've already been treated like an idiot today and I'm going to be honest, I'm sick of it," Thrain hissed. He let go with one hand and tapped a button on his wrist com. The shackled belt unhooked on Hera's wait and dropped to the floor, releasing from the chain gang the rest of the crew was trapped in.
Thrain then suddenly dragged Hera towards the shaft, shoving her to the edge. Ezra was horrified as the Captain held the Twi'lek by the shirt over the edge, threatening to drop her down. The Krayt Dragon hissed below, recognizing another snack was coming his way.
"Hera!" shouted Kanan who instantly subdued by the pirates. Zeb punched the two guards holding him only for Xar to hit in the head with the butt of his huge cannon. The Lasat dropped to his knees dazed while more pirates subdued him. The rest of the rebels were grabbed as well, being forced to their knees to make sure they didn't interfere. It wasn't just the Ghost crew who were stunned by Thrain's sudden change as Xar and the rest of his crew seemed shocked as well.
"Who are you people?! Tell me!" screamed a furious Thrain.
(One slight problem I did have with Rebels over time was most villains throughout the show weren't very interesting. Kallus was boring in season one, Grand Inquisitor was alright but never felt special, Seventh Sister & Fifth Brother felt like Grand Inquisitor knock offs, and don't get me started on Maul. Vader was great but was never the main villain of any season. The only truly great main villain was Thrawn. Clone Wars had a lot of great villians including Sidious, Dooku, Grievous, Maul, Savage, Ventress, and Cad Bane. So I tried to solve that problem by creating new villains like Third Sister, Risar Velken, and Arden Thrain. Hopefully they at least measure up to the standard Clone Wars set.)